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Akira, Shisui, and Boa Hancock opened all the chests in front of them.
Inside the chests were neat stacks of cash.
Each chest contained a hundred million, and there were 25 chests stacked before them. as there were all 2.5 billion berries.
"This… this… all of this… gulp…"
Uchiha Shisui couldn't help but swallow hard at the sight of so much money.
To be honest, the Golden Bell from before had already amazed him, but that was more of a treasure to admire than something he could spend.
Now, seeing these 25 chests of cold, hard cash, equivalent to 2.5 billion Berries, he was utterly stunned.
In his entire life, he had never seen this much money before.
Boa Hancock's eyes sparkled as well. Despite 13 years of looting since setting out to sea, she had never seen such an enormous sum of cash all at once other than the gold they got.
While her accumulated plunder over the years might have reached 2.5 billion Berries, most of it had been spent immediately. After all, Amazon Lily was a nation, and maintaining a country's expenses was no small feat.
As a result, she barely had any savings left.
"Akira! You're incredible!!"
Hancock, overjoyed, jumped onto Akira, wrapping her long legs around his waist. At 1.8 meters tall, her legs locked tightly around him, forcing Akira to steady her by supporting her backside.
"All of this money is now under your care," Akira said calmly, though he himself was inwardly overwhelmed.
Oh my god! Oh my god! Oh my god!!!
Seeing so much money piled up in front of him was beyond anything he could have imagined.
When he casually named a price of 5 billion earlier, it was just to show off—he hadn't truly grasped how enormous that sum was. Now, with 2.5 billion right in front of him, the sheer magnitude was finally sinking in.
Trying to remain composed, Akira reminded himself, It's just 5 billion… Wealthy people on Earth have net worths in the hundreds of billions. This is nothing.
Some big corporations even owe trillions; 3 billion wouldn't even cover their monthly interest payments.
Despite his internal pep talk, Akira couldn't stop the corner of his lips from curling into a smile.
Money… so much money…
Back in his pre-reincarnation days, he wouldn't have dared to dream of earning such a fortune in one go.
Indeed, reincarnation had been the best thing of his life.
"All of this… under my care?!"
Hancock's adorable face was filled with astonishment. This was an unimaginable amount of money!
Akira smiled and said, "This money was earned by the Uchiha Security Company, so naturally, it needs to go through the company's accounts. You are the company's vice president and its mistress, so taking on the role of CFO shouldn't be an issue, right?"
"No problem! None at all!"
Hancock had always been excellent at managing finances.
"But… where will we store all this money?"
"For now, it'll go into Amazon Lily's treasury."
The Uchiha Security Company didn't yet have its own headquarters or territory. Akira planned to establish a nation in the future, at which point the main office and funds would be transferred there.
Amazon Lily was a fine place, but it was more of a secluded paradise—ideal for hiding away but unsuitable for the expansive development of the Uchiha clan. If they wanted a foothold in this world, they'd eventually have to venture into the New World.
Akira and Hancock secretly transported the money back to Amazon Lily before returning to the hotel. No one knew they had even left.
Meanwhile, tension was rising worldwide. Whitebeard had attacked a Marine surveillance ship and disappeared from their radar, signaling that the battle was imminent.
Families of Marine personnel in Marineford were evacuated to Sabaody Archipelago.
Large screens were set up under the red trees of Sabaody, broadcasting the execution in real-time via surveillance cameras installed at Marineford.
Journalists flocked to the area, knowing this would be a headline-making event they couldn't afford to miss.
As the days passed, the day of the execution finally arrived.
"Three hours until the execution. Bring the prisoner to the platform!"
Two guards escorted a weary Ace to the execution platform.
"Look! It's Ace!"
As Ace knelt on the platform, the countdown to his execution began, sending waves of tension through the crowd.
"Stay vigilant!"
"No matter what happens, just hold on for three more hours!"
"By then, it will all be over!"
"Justice will prevail!!!"
Vice Admiral John Giant's booming voice echoed across the port, his words stirring up the gathered Marine forces.
"OOOOHHHH!!!"
The ten thousand elite marines shouted in unison, their voices shaking the battlefield.
Marineford was surrounded by 50 Marine warships, and heavy cannons lined the fortified walls, ready to unleash a barrage on the Whitebeard Pirates from any direction.
The Warlords of the Sea stood at the front lines.
The World Government didn't give the Warlords any chance to slack off, assigning them all to the primary defense line.
This arrangement didn't bother the Warlords much, as they understood the stakes.
Behind them were the main Marine forces—ten thousand strong.
Even further back were the admirals. Below the execution platform sat Aokiji, Akainu, and Kizaru.
On the platform itself, apart from the two executioners, stood Akira and Shisui.
"Hey, look! Up on the execution platform!"
"Isn't that Uchiha Akira and Uchiha Shisui from the Uchiha Security Company?!"
The duo had become widely recognized figures lately. If it weren't for the hype around the Whitebeard Pirates, the Uchiha Security Company would still be dominating the headlines.
"Yeah, it's them! I even saw them on this island!"
"Aren't they wanted by the World Government? Why are they standing with the Marine?!"
"I know! I heard a rumor that the World Government hired the Uchiha Security Company for an enormous fee."
"No way! Would the World Government really hire criminals?!"
"It's true! I heard the price was more than 5 billion berries!"
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